"As far as I know, she's been training with Rennyr Virie since the day after they returned from the focusing chamber. However, she should be along shortly," Elhael replied with a shrug.
She's been training with Ren? What could Ren teach her that she doesn't already know? Taegin thought for a moment.
Before his mind could wander any further, Thorn was the first to arrive in the Great Hall. "Ah, Taegin. Good to see you again," he said with a wave. "It hasn't been that long, Thorn, but it's good to see you, too," he replied with a bow. "What's this I hear about Ren teaching my daughter?" Taegin asked curiously.
Thorn flinched as his face paled.
Damn it, Siraye, he thought while desperately searching for an excuse.
"Oh, well, you see…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. Taegin sighed heavily, but just as he did so, he heard Siraye's laughter from one of the nearby halls.
Gods be praised! Thorn thought as relief washed over him.
Siraye and Ren were both wearing their training gear, likely having just finished a sparring match of some sort. Ren had a dejected look on his face, while Siraye held a bright, beaming smile. "I did warn you not to go for that move," she said, patting the smaller, red-eyed elf on the back. "You did, but I didn't expect you to move so quickly. I couldn't even see where you were coming from," Ren said tiredly.
"Neither could Thoma, from what I've heard," Taegin said, startling the two. Siraye's eyes opened widely as she realized who was standing before her. "D-dad," she said in a voice that immediately reminded Taegin of how she was when she was little. She maintained her composure as she walked over to him, and outstretched her hand to clasp his forearm.
"I didn't think you'd be here so soon," she said. "How could I not after a note like th-..." his words cut off as she suddenly wrapped him in a tight hug. Taegin was confused for a heartbeat, but his expression changed to a warm yet pained smile. "It's alright," he said softly, feeling her body tremble slightly.
"I couldn't reach him in time. Even being as fast as I am, I…" her muffled voice cut off shakily. "You did what you could, and that's all anyone could ever ask for," Taegin began warmly, gently stroking her hair. "Thoma's a strong boy, so I'm sure he's doing alright. You've also been strong to carry on like this, even though I know you've been constantly worried about him," he continued, giving her a tight squeeze before cupping her tear-streaked face in his hands.
"We'll get him back, I'm sure of it," Taegin nodded. Siraye's eyes darted to each of his before she returned the nod with one of her own. "I know he's strong, but I can't help but worry about what he's going to have to do while he's down there," Siraye said, wiping away a tear. "What do you mean? You didn't say much in your note, so I'm a little confused," he said, wiping away the other tear that streaked down her right cheek.
"I think it's best if we move to somewhere less public for that conversation," Elhael said, already gesturing towards the meeting room where Ren had given Siraye the tincture. They moved into the room and sat down in the provided chairs while Taegin and Siraye sat opposite each other.
"Siraye, tell me what's going on with Thoma. I've promised you once before that if Thoma was ever put in danger, I would do what I could to help. So, please tell me what's going on and leave nothing out," Taegin said, putting his elbows on his knees while steepling his fingers in front of his face.
"I don't even know where to begin," she said, averting her gaze momentarily. "After Thoma was taken to the Underworld, I sent you a message roughly explaining what happened. Bernar wasn't here since he'd gone off to help Queen Leona with her mission in Harut," she began, gazing at the others who subtly nodded to help her get through it.
I've only ever seen her like this once before. How long has she been holding up appearances for the others? Taegin thought, hearing the slight quiver in her voice.
"After that, Ren and Thorn came to offer advice, but after some deliberation, we found that there was little that could be done with our current knowledge. That's when both of them had the idea of trying to help me communicate with him," she said, turning her gaze back to her father. "Well, what came of it?" he asked loosely.
What is this mana I'm sensing? Is it…? Taegin thought, noticing the surge of mana within her.
"This," she said, her eyes turning from their bright golden color to a deep, vibrant scarlet. Taegin's eyes opened widely, sitting upright in surprise as his jaw dropped just enough for only Siraye to notice. "R-Ren, did you give her what I think you did?" Taegin asked, turning to look at the small, dark-haired elf.
"I did," Ren said with a cheeky smile, getting a surprised scoff out of the Master as he scratched the back of his head. "It seems I've lost touch with what was possible," Taegin said with a smile. "You said you wanted to communicate with him, but how did you know Thoma would be able to respond?" he asked, shifting his gaze between them.
"Ren had given a vial of the Wraith tincture to both Thoma and Bernar before they came here. However, unsealing Thoma's core took priority, and I suppose he simply forgot about it," Siraye began with a shrug. "I remember that, but I didn't think that boy would have forgotten something so precious," Taegin said, rubbing his chin lightly.
"Well, he didn't because the only way that we could confirm that he was alive was through Ren and Aurae's connection to the two of them through the Wraith realm," Siraye said plainly. "Two of them?" Taegin asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Ah, it would seem that Thoma ended up sharing half of his tincture with Ysevel," she said, rubbing the back of her neck with a nervous grin.
I understand why he shared it with her, but where is this going? Taegin thought as he tried to piece the puzzle together.
"But that's where the larger part of the problem comes into play," Siraye began, dropping her tone to be much more serious than her usual playful one. "Nexis Pelantyr is trying to make his return to the Between," she said bluntly. "What? How?" Taegin asked, his already pale face growing even more white.
Siraye then explained how Ren and Thorn helped her with the focusing chamber after defeating the Dericoed. He was certainly surprised to hear they had seen one so far from the chamber, let alone defeated one that all he could do was listen with a worried look.
"But what could have caused it to break away from its seal?" Taegin asked the room. When no answer came, he could only allow himself a heavy sigh.
Is that what Anwill is researching in the library? Taegin thought for a moment before Siraye continued.
"After the guardian allowed us in, Thorn and Ren used a combination of their mana to allow me to talk to Thoma, but what he said shook me to my core," Siraye began, already feeling the lump grow in her throat as she spoke. "He told us about Ardrin and that he is going to learn the ways of the Wraithborn to put a stop to Nexis' plans," she said gravely as she averted her eyes.
"Who was he with? You said you saw his and Ysevel's forms and two others there," Taegin urged. Siraye swallowed dryly and fidgeted with her hands before answering. "They were hegraphenes. The very same species that Irun had brought with him," she replied. However, instead of being completely taken aback, the Master regarded her curiously.
"Did they happen to have a strange-looking plume on the crown of their heads?" he asked curiously. "They… they might have? Ren, did you see anything like that?" Siraye asked with a raised eyebrow. "They did, but one of the two there was much smaller and lithe than the other," Ren replied.
"So, you're still alive," Taegin muttered to no one in particular, garnering confused stares as the words left his mouth. "Wait, you know who it is?" Siraye asked, leaning so far forward that she was now at the edge of her seat. Taegin chuckled lightly and shook his head. "I guess you could say that. Her name is Kalia; She's the mate of Lord Gravar of the Iron Plume clan and one that gave me this," he pointed to the scar on his face.
No one, not even King Elhael Phrys of Caegwen, could keep his composure as they all began to speak over each other, hoping their question would be the one to be answered. Realizing they wouldn't get anywhere, Siraye held her hand to silence everyone. It took a few moments, but eventually, the cacophony of voices subsided as they all realized Thoma's current situation.
"So, this Kalia…" Siraye trailed off. "She's a menace with a sword, but I wasn't able to see her abilities with mana, as that was not allowed during the Davo dugo Guva," he began. "The what?" Elhael asked. He'd been holding back his questions as much as he could, though, at that moment, his curiosity finally got the better of him.
"It's a rite of passage for the Iron Plume Clan. Each must prove their strength in combat without mana to kill their alternates. The alternates were one of the leading reasons they were banished there after all," Taegin said with a shrug. "Although, how I got involved in that is another story entirely. Right now, you all need to know that Thoma couldn't have found a better ally down there, as unlikely as it seems," he continued.
Siraye breathed a sigh of relief, but the looming reality of what came next once his training was completed settled back in, souring her mood. Taegin got up from his seat and moved over to his daughter's side, placing a hand on hers.
"He's going to be alright. You have to believe in him and his abilities to stop Nexis and his plans. I promise that if the connection between your core and his is as strong as you say it is, then you should already know that he's likely growing at an astounding rate," he said comfortingly, squeezing her hand gently.
"You don't understand," Siraye began solemnly.